


I Just Realized I Still Need You

by adequatewriter01



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alex Has Anxiety (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Angst, Asthma, Asthma Attacks, Concussions, Fainting, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Homophobic Language, Hurt Alex Mercer, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sick Alex Mercer, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28106118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adequatewriter01/pseuds/adequatewriter01
Summary: Alex Mercer did not have a good immune system.While Luke, Reggie, and Bobby would get sick once or twice a year, it seemed like Alex got sick every month. Whether it was the fact that he was always anxious, or just plain bad luck, he somehow managed to catch every virus that came his way. So, when Alex stumbled into school that Monday morning stifling a cough into his elbow, the boys weren’t really surprised.Alternatively, five times Alex is sick/hurt and the boys help him out and one time he gets to return the favor.
Relationships: Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 177





	1. December 19th, 1994

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In Sickness and In Death](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924986) by [LuvnTheJukebox (GalahadsGurl)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadsGurl/pseuds/LuvnTheJukebox). 



> Welcome to my first ever story! This was inspired by the work titled In Sickness and In Death by LuvnTheJukebox, so go check that one out, it's great. I love the idea of a sick Luke, but Alex is my favorite so I figured I would center it around him instead and change the general idea a little bit. Enjoy, and let me know if you want me to continue!
> 
> Title comes from the song My Thoughts on You by The Band CAMINO.

_ December 19th, 1994 _

* * *

Alex Mercer did not have a good immune system. 

While Luke, Reggie, and Bobby would get sick once or twice a year, it seemed like Alex got sick every month. Whether it was the fact that he was always anxious, or just plain bad luck, he somehow managed to catch every virus that came his way. So, when Alex stumbled into school that Monday morning stifling a cough into his elbow, the boys weren’t really surprised. Luke and Reggie exchanged worried glances before making their way over to Alex’s locker, while Bobby continued to slowly pull textbooks from his own locker, preferring to observe from a distance. 

“Hey Alex, you doin’ okay?” Luke asked once Alex reached them and started turning the lock on his locker. 

“I’m fine, Luke,” Alex replied sharply. He lifted the locker handle and yanked the door open, causing it to slam into the adjoining locker with a loud clang.

“Someone’s grumpy this morning,” Luke mumbled under his breath, causing Reggie to snort and reply with, “Ya think?”

Alex glared at both of them, then sighed, face softening. “Sorry, I’m just tired. With the gig last weekend I forgot we had that book report due for English this afternoon so I spent all of last night finishing it.”

“Are you sure you’re just tired?” questioned Reggie, concerned for his friend’s wellbeing. “You're looking a little rough bud, I think you might be getting sick.” He raised his hand to Alex’s forehead to check for a fever, but it was promptly slapped away.

“Dude, I’m fine, relax,” Alex insisted. “Now c’mon, we’re gonna be late for chemistry.” After pulling the correct notebook from his backpack and shoving the rest of his supplies into his open locker, he closed the door gently and trudged over to Bobby. The two boys exchanged greetings, then disappeared into a nearby classroom. 

Reggie shrugged and was about to follow them, but hesitated and turned back to face Luke. “I know he said he’s fine” he reflected, “but he looks horrible. He’s sick, right?”

Luke sighed then wrapped an arm around Reggie’s shoulder, pulling him in for a side hug before leading them towards the class that they shared with Alex and Bobby. “Yeah,” he replied, “he’s definitely sick.”

* * *

Over the course of the school day, Alex began to feel progressively worse, and, despite his attempts to hide his illness from his bandmates, it was clear that he caught the flu. He kept alternating between hot and cold, his throat was burning from his attempts to hold in his coughs, and his head was pounding, preventing him from actually comprehending anything he was taught that day. By the time practice rolled around, Alex could barely stay on his feet, let alone survive an entire afternoon of the band’s usual shenanigans. Rather than admit defeat, however, he slowly made his way to Bobby’s after dropping his backpack off at home and popping an ibuprofen. 

When he finally staggered into the studio, Luke took one look at him before immediately dragging him to sit on the couch. “Dude, there’s no way you’re practicing today. You look like shit.”

“I said I was fine, Lucas,” he huffed, and attempted to stand, but black spots crowded his vision and he lurched to the side. He felt Luke’s hands grab his arms, and he was pulled back onto the couch, this time with his head resting on Luke’s shoulder. 

“Alex, no, you’re sick,” Luke insisted. He brushed his sweaty fringe back from his face and rested the back of his hand on his forehead before cursing under his breath. “Reg,” he shouted, “can you grab me a wet washcloth from the bathroom?” Reggie’s head popped up from the loft and he quickly nodded, climbing down the ladder and disappearing into the bathroom. “‘Lex, you’re burning up, why didn’t you say you didn’t feel well?”

“I feel fine,” Alex argued before turning his head to cough harshly into Luke’s chest. Rubbing his back soothingly, Luke gave him a stern look, causing him to groan. “Okay, so I don’t feel great,” he admitted, “but I’m fine, we can still practice.”

“Dude, we can take a day off, it’s not a big deal,” Reggie urged, returning from the bathroom with a damp towel in hand. “Besides, this gives Bobby time to finally do his math homework that was due last week.”

“Hey!” Bobby exclaimed from inside the house where he was grabbing a bottle of water. “I heard that!”

Luke rolled his eyes, then coaxed Alex to lay down on the couch with his head in his lap. “Next time, how about you just tell us that you’re sick so we can avoid you almost passing out and scaring the hell out of me,” he remarked, concern in his eyes despite his playful tone. 

“Sorry,” Alex murmured, eyes fluttering shut as Reggie rested the damp towel on his forehead and threw a blanket over his legs. 

“Just go to sleep, bud,” Luke whispered, running a hand through his hair. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Alex hummed, and he fell asleep to the sounds of his best friends quietly bickering about whose turn it was to do Bobby’s math homework. 


	2. January 20th, 1995

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a small cough, he was fine. He could handle one more hour of practice.  
> That is, until he couldn’t breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone that liked/commented so far, you guys are all so sweet! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, I had fun writing it. Sorry it took so long, the end of the semester is always crazy busy, but now that I have a break from school I should be able to update a little faster (hopefully). I still have no idea what I’m going to do for the last chapter of this fic, so if you have any ideas let me know. Again, thanks for the love, and I’m always willing to take requests/suggestions if you have them.  
> Oh, also I’m currently working on a one shot that should be out sometime next week, so feel free to check that one out as well (once I actually sit down and write it).

_ January 20th, 1995 _

* * *

“Alex, you okay dude?”

Alex coughed harshly into his fist while giving Reggie a thumbs up. When the tightness in his chest wouldn’t let up, he stood up from his drum throne, still coughing, and staggered over to the coffee table, which held his water bottle. After plopping down on the couch and taking off his fanny pack, he took a large swig of his water and cleared his throat. “Yeah, Reg, I’m good,” he responded, voice raspy. “Do you mind if we take a quick break though?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Luke said, placing his guitar in its stand before strolling over to Alex dropping down on the couch next to him. “I’ve got a couple lyrics I need to get down anyway.” He pulled out his song book and immediately went to work, brow furrowed in concentration. Alex rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. When his laugh turned into a soft cough, he took another sip of water and felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Reggie, who was crouched in front of him, a concerned look in his eyes. 

“Seriously, are you okay?” Reggie questioned. “It’s January and you always get sick during the winter and now you’re coughing and what if you have pneumonia or tuberculosis or the bubonic plague or-”

“Reggie!” Alex interrupted. “Dude, everything’s fine, relax. It’s just a little cough.”

Reggie hesitated. “Promise to say something if it gets worse?”

“Yes Reg,” Alex sighed, “I promise to tell you if I have the bubonic plague. To be honest, I’m amazed you even know what that is.”

Reggie rolled his eyes and lightly smacked Alex’s shoulder. “I read books sometimes, asshole.” The door to the studio opened suddenly, and Bobby entered carrying a mug and three cokes. He tossed two of the cokes to Luke and Reggie, Luke shouting when his hit him in the face as he was too absorbed in his song book to notice Bobby coming in, and kept the third for himself. The mug he passed to Alex, who took it but gave Bobby a questioning look. 

“It’s ginger tea with honey. I figured it would help your cough,” Bobby explained, directing his gaze at his unopened can of coke.

“Hey,” Alex said gently, nudging Bobby’s shoulder, forcing the brunette to look up at him. “Thanks.” Bobby smiled softly at him then walked over to his guitar.

“Now maybe if Lucas over there is done with his songwriting we can get back to rehearsal?” Bobby smirked, adjusting his guitar strap.

Luke looked up from his songbook and glared at Bobby, but, before responding, directed a concerned glance at Alex. He nodded, confirming that he was ready, so Luke set his book down on the coffee table and made his way over to his own guitar. “Respect the song book, bro,” Luke remarked. “You’ll thank me later when we have a new killer song to rehearse.”

* * *

As the boys continued to practice, Alex’s cough continued to worsen. Reggie kept shooting him concerned glances and not-so-subtly suggesting that they take a break, which Alex refused. They already took one break because his lungs decided they didn’t want to work, they didn’t need to take another one. It was just a small cough, he was fine. He could handle one more hour of practice.

That is, until he couldn’t breathe.

They were in the middle of rehearsing Now or Never when suddenly Alex’s chest felt tight and he couldn’t breathe. He should have known that his cough combined with the exertion of band practice would lead to an asthma attack. At least he was smart enough to put his inhaler in his fanny pack. Which he left on the couch. Shit. 

He dropped his drumsticks and hunched over in his seat, trying to draw in a breath. He heard the boys stop playing and the studio was quiet for a brief moment before Alex’s soft wheezes filled the room. Hands gripped his shoulder and knee, gently turning him away from his drum kit, and he reached for the one on his knee, clutching it tightly.

“-ex? Alex, hey, what’s going on?” That sounded like Luke. He opened his mouth to try to respond, but the only thing that came out was a loud wheeze followed by a choked cough. Alex looked up to see Luke crouching down in front of him while Reggie and Bobby stood a little farther back. He mouthed the word asthma, and Luke's eyes widened and he cursed before standing up and moving behind Alex. “Reg, get his inhaler from his pack,” he ordered, grabbing Alex’s shoulder with one hand and hoisting him up, leaning him back against his chest, before tilting his head back with a hand under his chin. Alex felt his airways open slightly with the change in position, and he squeezed Luke’s hand gratefully. “Just breathe, Alex,” Luke soothed, squeezing his hand back. 

Reggie returned from the couch holding Alex’s inhaler, which he uncapped, shook a couple of times, and handed to Luke. He took it from Reggie and immediately placed it in Alex’s hand, still intertwined with his, before helping him raise the device to his blue-tinged lips and pressing down on the metal canister. Alex sucked in as much air as he could and held his breath, letting it out after five seconds when black spots started to dot his vision. He took two more puffs of the inhaler, taking pauses in between each one, before collapsing back into Luke’s chest, closing his eyes and focusing on inhaling as much oxygen as possible. He felt Reggie grab the inhaler from his hand, which had fallen down to his waist, while Luke rubbed his back softly. He could hear someone speaking, but he didn’t have the energy to figure out who, let alone try to comprehend what they were saying. 

“-old me that he would say something if he felt worse why didn’t he  _ say  _ something-”

“Reg, relax. He just had an asthma attack, he’s okay now-”

“Does he look okay to you? He couldn’t  _ breathe  _ Luke!”

“Don’t you think I know that Bobby? His lips were turning fucking  _ blue _ -”

“Stop,” Alex rasped, opening his eyes to see Reggie and Bobby in front of him, who both stopped frowning at Luke to look at him when he wheezed softly. “Please stop arguing. I’m fine now, I promise.” He turned to Reggie, who had tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, I honestly thought I was fine.” He paused to catch his breath. “Sorry I scared you.”

Reggie sighed, then smiled softly, ruffling his hair. “It’s okay, Alex. How ‘bout you just don’t do that again. Like ever.”

“I second that,” Bobby agreed, patting Reggie’s shoulder.

“I’ll try my best,” Alex murmured. He leaned his head further back into Luke’s chest, taking a deep breath. “Do you think we can call it a night? I’m kinda tired.”

He heard a soft chuckle come from Reggie. “I think that might be a good idea.”

“Movie night?” Bobby suggested, already making his way over to the loft to begin constructing their typical band sleepover setup. 

“Sounds good to me,” said Luke. “‘Lex, Reg? Alex nodded his approval while Reggie displayed his support by launching himself headfirst onto the pile of blankets Bobby had thrown on the pull-out couch. Luke snorted and unlinked his hand from Alex’s before helping the drummer up and guiding him gently to lay down next to Reggie. Once Bobby climbed down from the loft and Luke arranged the blankets around Alex to elevate his head, Reggie popped  _ Star Wars _ into the VCR and the four boys settled down to watch the movie. Alex snuggled into Luke’s chest and closed his eyes, exhausted, but content. His lungs may not function sometimes, but at least he had his bandmates to help him when he couldn’t breathe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s chapter 2, hope you enjoyed it! That was the worst ending ever and it took way longer than I intended, but it was also a bit longer than chapter 1, so hopefully that made up for it? Maybe? Sorry about any medical inaccuracies, I don’t have asthma so I don’t know a ton about it, but I tried. Thanks for reading!


	3. March 6th, 1995

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: homophonic language is used in this chapter.   
> I tried to limit it but there is one word used, so if you don't want to read that then feel free to start reading after the line break. Hope you enjoy!

_ March 6th, _ 1995

* * *

Alex was having a good day. He woke up early, made himself breakfast, and enjoyed a nice walk to school, making it to his locker well before the first bell rang for class to begin. He turned in all of his assignments on time, no one tripped him in the hallway, and his boys were with him the whole time. The worst part of his day was his math test, but even that wasn’t bad, and he ended up getting a 98% on it. Even his anxiety had seemed to give him a break for the day, so when he and Luke began their trek to Alex’s house to drop off his backpack before band rehearsal, he couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his face.

Of course, he should have known that, with his luck, something would go wrong sooner or later. 

Alex unlocked his front door and led Luke inside, planning on bringing him upstairs to dump his school supplies before they headed to the studio for the afternoon. However, when the pair entered the house, they found Alex’s dad sitting in the living room holding his journal.  _ Shit _ . 

“Alexander,” his father’s voice boomed as he stood from his chair and walked calmly until he was directly in front of Alex. “Care to tell me what this is?” He held the book stiffly in his left hand, open to a page toward the back covered in Alex’s neat handwriting.  _ Oh no. No no no _ . 

“Uhm, y-yeah, that’s j-just, uh,” Alex stuttered, his hands shaking. 

Alex’s dad shoved the journal into his chest and the drummer grabbed it with unsteady hands, looking down to see the words  _ I’m gay _ clearly written at the top. He felt Luke’s hand brush his elbow subtly, thumb moving back and forth in a comforting manner.  _ Okay, breathe. Luke’s here, everything’s fine. _

“It’s a good thing your mother isn’t here, this is unacceptable Alexander. Do you know what would happen if the church found out about this? I refuse to have a son who’s a fag-”

“Stop, dad!” Alex shouted, tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t lie about it anymore. “I’m sorry that I’m not what you want, but I’m gay, and there’s nothing you can do to change that!”

Alex suddenly felt a sharp pain as a hand slapped his left cheek, and he stumbled back, slamming his head onto the hardwood floor. His vision went black for a moment, ears buzzing, before his eyes focused on Luke punching his father in the face.

“Luke stop,” Alex groaned, using his elbow to prop himself up. When he heard Alex’s voice, the guitarist turned away from the seething man in front of him to help his boyfriend stand. The world swam in front of Alex’s eyes and he gripped Luke’s arm firmly, swaying slightly before he adjusted to the change in position.

“Get the hell out of my house, his dad fumed, and the two boys ran out the front door into the street.

* * *

Alex and Luke stumbled into the studio, panting from their run from Alex’s house, only to be greeted by shouts from Reggie and Bobby.

“What happened?” Bobby exclaimed, brows furrowing in anger when he saw what was likely going to become a nasty bruise on his face. He dropped his backpack on the floor and looked at Luke, silently pleading him not to say anything. Unfortunately for him, Luke never listened to Alex. 

“His dad knows,” he said simply, and Reggie and Bobby both sighed in understanding, the bassist moving to give Alex a gentle hug, which he melted into.

Luke looked over at Alex’s face and his expression morphed from pity to anger. “His dad hit him.”

Bobby’s frown deepened, and Reggie just looked at him sadly. “Are you okay?” Reggie asked, eyes flickering to his left cheek. 

“‘M good, Luke punched him,” Alex replied, taking a deep breath as the room started spinning around him. 

Bobby held out a fist, which Luke bumped with his own then hissed and gripped his hand. 

“Shit, Luke, you’re bleeding.” Wait, when did that happen? Alex looked at Luke, panic in his eyes.

“It’s not that bad,” Luke insisted, flexing his hand gently. 

“It doesn’t matter, Luke, you’re still  _ bleeding _ .”

“I’m gonna grab the first aid kit-”

“Dude, it’s fine-”

Alex let the boys’ words fade to the background as he staggered over to the nearest wall and slid to the ground, head pounding. He never wanted his dad to find out that way. He never wanted his dad to find out  _ ever _ , technically, but it would have been better if it was on his own terms. And, oh, god, his dad kicked him out and all he had with him was his English textbook. What the  _ hell _ was he supposed to do now, since Luke lived in the studio and Reggie’s parents barely took care of the one kid they already had and Bobby-

“Alex, are you listening to me?”

A voice startled him and he flinched, then focused his eyes to see Reggie crouching in front of him while Bobby was busy fixing Luke’s hand on the couch. 

“Mhm,” Alex mumbled, his eyes slipping shut. God, his head hurt.

“No, ‘lex, open your eyes for me,” Reggie demanded, and Alex groaned, but complied. “Are you okay?”

“Head hurts,” Alex whined, pulling his legs up to his chest and resting his head on his knees. He felt like he was going to throw up. 

“Did you hit your head?” Reggie questioned, worry seeping into his voice. He didn’t think he had hit his head, but- 

Oh shit, yeah, he smacked his head on the floor earlier, no wonder his head hurt. Huh. That might be a problem.

“Alex?” 

Right, Reggie asked him a question. He lifted his head to respond, but all that came out of his mouth was a pained groan, and he laid his head on Reggie’s shoulder. 

“Okay, bud, just relax,” Reggie soothed, rubbing his back gently. “Luke!” he shouted over his shoulder. The brunette stopped what he was doing and turned to the pair sitting on the ground. “Did Alex hit his head?”

“Uh, yeah, I think he hit his head on the ground after his dad hit him.” Reggie cursed. “Why?”

“I think he has a concussion.”

“Shit, really?” Luke asked, abandoning the tape he had been about to put on his hand and dashing over with Bobby.

“Yeah, he said his head hurt, and now he’s not really responding to me.”

Alex suddenly felt nauseous. “Reg,” he whispered, “think ‘m gonna throw up.”

“Bobby, get a trash can!” Bobby ran to grab the requested item, quickly rushing back and dropping it in front of Alex just seconds before he began heaving.

“Scratch that, he  _ definitely _ has a concussion.”

After bringing up the last of his lunch, Alex shoved the trash can away from him and slumped into Reggie’s chest, his head pounding with each heartbeat. 

“What do we do?” Luke asked, rubbing Alex’s back gently.

“Hospital?” Bobby suggested. Alex’s head shot up.

“No! No hospital.” His breathing picked up slightly at the thought. Hospital meant questions about how he got a concussion, and he was so not ready to deal with that right now. 

Thankfully, Reggie recognized Alex’s panic and didn’t argue with him. “Okay, ‘lex, no hospital.” He glanced back at Luke and Bobby, who both shrugged, then turned to look at Alex. “Do you wanna just nap on the couch for a bit?”

“Mhm,” Alex nodded, attempting to stand before immediately falling back down when he got lightheaded.

“Woah, hold on,” Luke cautioned, catching Alex as he dropped to the ground. “Let’s take it slow, okay?” He wrapped Alex’s arms around his shoulders and helped him up, supporting the majority of his weight when the drummer swayed on his feet. He led Alex to the couch, Reggie and Bobby following closely behind, and depositing him gently on the cushions before crouching down in front of him. 

“Get some rest” Luke whispered, brushing Alex’s hair back from his forehead. “We’ll wake you up in a little bit.”

Alex blinked slowly at the brunette then let his eyes shut, trusting his boys to take care of him while he slept.


End file.
